A Song of War and Hammers
by Simon Said
Summary: Young Interrogator Methius, in charge of the 1st Merweg Infantry Regiment is tasked with conquering a primitive world to bring it towards the Emperor's light. He must not only unite the planet under one banner but also protect it from the Others, a xenos species of Chaos worshippers that inhabit the far North. For this he must made alliances and break armies.
1. Sergeant Krummer

Sergeant Krummer knew his prayers and usually prayed before going to bed once in a while and a few times before battle. He liked his job, he was good at fighting. He had never actually liked studying or working even when he was actually a pretty smart guy. He had been raised in between the rivalry the Guard and the Navy held since millenniums ago, his mother had wanted him to be a mechanic and his father had preferred to stay away from him. That had been 20 years ago and he was a Sergeant now while his father was pretty much dead.

He was one of the Regiment-born, his father had been a low officer and fathered him with a Navy crew-woman. Under normal circumstances he would have grown as a sailor, but thanks the Emperor the ship had been stuck in the Warp for years. Enough time for him to look old enough to get into the Regiment. The Merweg First Infantry Regiment, his father's planet used to produce Armoured Regiments until one day they run out of tanks and had to create infantry regiments to pay their Administratum taxes.

Krummer was probably the least lucky officer in the entire regiment. He had been given the command of a squad, probably the worst ten men in the entire Regiment, four newbies who could barely walk under the weight of their military issue backpacks, One-eye Karl a veteran with the worst aim in the entire frakking Galaxy and five others who could barely keep up with their own dead mothers at running. His squad was canon fodder, even by Imperial Guard standards.

Warp damn it. His hands were freezing despite two sets of winter gloves and being stuck inside his pockets. His hands were so clumsy inside his gloves he was sure he wouldn't be able to pull the trigger of his his lasrifle. Those damned ice-cultists were frakking fast and if you didn't put a dozen las-shots through them really quickly they were on you. And when they were on you, there was nothing you could to stop their crystal swords. Some time later you joined their blue eyed wights.

There were five squads in the place and two of the savages called Thenns who served as guides, the company was led by Captain Brummer but the old veteran from the Ork wars of Chaitzen had turn craven during the last few years and Commissar Kaufermann was in fact the one doing all the commanding. Priest Missionary Kirsches and Lieutenant Herrmann were also evidently enjoying their authority while the old Captain pretended to use the radio back in the transports for hours.

Two companies had already been send up here, Interrogator Methius was reluctant to send them further than the Thenn lands, to the so called Lands of Always Winter. Fortress of the Others and coldest place in this Warp-damned backwater planet. The 1rst Merweg Infantry had never fought against Chaos cultists, but he knew enough to know that this was something new. Sickness, Pleasure, Blood and Conspiracy, those where the Four Great Sins of Chaos, he attended mass from time to time so he knew that. Cold was not supposed to be the enemy, cold was just supposed to be cold.

Krummer's thinking was interrupted by the return of Sergeant Achen and his ten men squad... now reduced to two men and half (being dragged). They were finally here. It took him mere seconds to get his lasrifle in front of him, apparently the cold wasn't slowing him as much as he had feared, but his men were noticeably slower and clumsier. If the Others don't frakking kill them I'm going to do it myself when this is over, this is supposed to be an ambush. Achen was just ten metres away from the Valkyrie when the Others appeared. A giant spider half the size of a mammoth jumped faster than he could track and landed behind Achen and his men, before he could even blink, one spider limb impaled him.

Then all Warp went loose. Priest Missionary Kirsches got out the Valkyrie with his Eviscerator chain-sword and hand held flame-thrower singing the Emperor's Battle Hymns with his pitched voice. Behind him half a dozen Guards shot the Other riding the ice spider who jumped down fast as Warp avoiding every bullet. Then the Valkyries started shooting with their mounted multilasers, but not towards the clearing but somewhere he couldn't see, that couldn't be good, the Valkyries's guns were an important part of the ambush.

The two squads hiding in the close trees charged running against the two new spider-riding Others that followed the first offender into the clearing. Krummer's and Samuel's squads were tasked with closing the way back to the Others so he ran to stand the way those monster had come. Erikstein and his squad stood up from their hiding place and started shooting. Erikstein always got the grunts who could shoot decently. The three monsters had dismounted real fast and while the spiders received all the fire the Others got near enough to face Samuel's squad, what followed was butchery.

Their armour was pretty effective against lasfire, and their sword strokes were faster than what most guardsmen could block, Krummer stopped firing for a second when the white blurs mixed with Samuel's squad but decided there was no way they were getting out alive anyways and resumed firing after indicating his men to do the same. If Samuel was going to die fighting, it was no good to waste his distraction not taking down the coldies.

Old Karl throw a frag grenade right into the fight, and had the good sense to warn them about it, even the newbies went down to take cover, if you call burying yourself a little in the snow "take cover". Krummer rose again holding tight his lasrifle and scanning for enemies near when he saw a giant spider get out of the main quarrel and charge against him, apparently most spiders had been taken down but the decreasing amount of lasrifle was disturbing.

A spider limb almost tore right through his leg if it were not for Commissar Kaufermann bolt pistol. He had tried to sidestep but the arachnid was too fast. A smoking shortened spider limb stood next to him but the danger was not over, Krummer took a leap left. One of his men was impaled through his neck. Half his men started to run towards the Erikstein's bunch, precisely then, Krummer's lasrifle clip went out.

The spider distracted by the running cravens took a leap and left him there, next to two corpses and with an empty lasrifle.

He tried to get another clip from his belt but one of the Others was running swiftly towards him with a professional looking crystal sword, his left hand was too clumsy to reach an spare clip. Krummer right hand reached his pistol with a practised movement while his left caught the lasrifle before it touched the floor. He shot the running cold twice with no effect. Now he was close enough to be killed. The first stroke came from above and was blocked by his old and trusty lasrifle. He tried to shot again but the second stroke came diagonal towards his feet and when he blocked it again his rifle cracked and broke. He tried to close his eyes but they were stuck, probably the cold, maybe the blue eyes looking at him.

Some time later Sergeant Krummer felt strong enough to stand up again. He felt cold, not the chilling cold of the North, or the soul-chilling cold of the Others. He felt a comfortable cold. He tried to remember what he was supposed to do. If a guardsman is to survive a failed the mission, during which he is separated from his commanding officer, his orders are to go back to the Headquarters. He couldn't find his lasrifle, he couldn't see very well, everything was tinted blue. So he took his pistol and started walking south. He knew he had to go back to the Headquarters. He felt like seeing his Captain one last time.

Just a few steps behind him, one of his men tried to get up but the evident lack of both legs didn't let him do it. So he just growled and started crawling, following his Sergeant as fast as he could. Then a few more got up around the clearing and followed him. Dragging their feet and sometimes other parts of their bodies not entirely attached to their freezing bodies. They had to go back. The faster they got to the warm blooded bastards, all the better.


	2. Lady Stoneheart

Her name used to be Tully, but then she married. Her name used to be Stark, but now the Starks were dead. Her Ned, Robb so innocent, brave Arya, young Bran and Rickon , even Sansa forcefully married to the Imp had disappeared, the little monster probably had raped and killed her already.

They called her Lady Stoneheart, because they said her heart had turned stone and all compassion and emotion had died inside of her. She didn't feel her heart as stone, she felt hatred, rage, she wanted to scream, to yell and claw at her enemies with her nails and bite them and made them feel pain. But she was too weak for that, she couldn't even speak properly, Raymund Frey had made sure of that.

When Notch told her about how Brienne and Jaime had been seen by scouts she understood. Brienne loved the Kingslayer, Brienne had betrayed her. She took a new betrayal surprisingly calm, even if inside she wanted to kill everyone. She had let Brienne go in a moment of weakness. Now she knew what she had to do.

She called Edric Dayne with her hands. She could barely stand the presence of the boy who the others used to call Ned, a few looks had been enough and now everybody called him Edric. After Beric's sacrifice the boy and many others had left, but the boy had returned, apparently the others had abandoned him. Edric was too soft for this war but understood her easily, a few gestures and he went running to bring the others.

Lemoncloak her Hound, Harwin and Jack-Be-Lucky were behind her. She knew they were as angry and bitter as one could get. They would follow her to the Seven Hells and beyond. Thoros was sitting at the other side of the cave. Everyone was here, Jeyne and Willow Heddle and their orphans. Gendry using the armour he forged himself. Notch, Likely Luke and Beardless Dick holding the prisoners, Podrick Payne, Hyle Hunt and two others, Frey men. Dennet, Mudge and the scouts. All the women and kids under their protection. Everyone.

They weren't as many as they used to. Less than thirty men, twice that number of kids and women. Many had left, many more had died. The ones alive were all bitter, most of them had seen combat already, even the Inn orphans had brutally stabbed a Lannister man who tried to rape Willow. They all were the Brotherhood. Not a Brotherhood of king's men as Thoros would say, but one of broken men.

She was in her seat. Robb's crown was surprisingly on her head. A circlet of bronze holding nine black iron spikes shaped like swords. The runes in the crown were different this time, they looked like skulls. She donned a new cloak, red and black.

She spoke, not all of them understand so Harwin interpreted. _"Brienne has chosen to stay with the Kingslayer as his whore, she won't keep her word"_ Podrick Payne looked at her, she could almost heard him saying no. _"The Imp's squire and Tarly's man must die now"_ She had been hearing the whispers for days now, addressing her in her wrath, bitterness and powerlessness. _"The squire fought under the Lannisters banner, Ser Hyle Hunt fought for the Tyrell"_ She could hear Him, the Bloodthirsty One. He offered all the power she needed and only asked for blood in exchange. _"We've found what we needed, the power that evaded us"_ Thoros was restless, he noticed something was wrong. She had first heard the whispers when she tried to watch the flames as Thoros did. _"There is One that offer us the justice we are looking for"_ At first she only saw battle scenes, then she saw Ned's execution, Robb's murder, Theon killing her boys, Sansa being raped by Tyrion and a starved Arya dying. _"And now we accept him, for he is the God of Fires and Blood"_.

She gave the order and her Hound went forth holding a warhammer. Jack-Be-Lucky draw his short-sword and joined him in front of the captives. Harwin helped her to stand up and get close to the prisoners before drawing his own longsword and standing in front of one of the Frey's. Her Hound took place in front of Ser Hyle and Jack crouched near the other Frey. She was standing in front of the boy. She had a dagger, just steel and wood, with the Mark of Khorne.

She stabbed the boy once and felt all her strength come back. Jack stabbed his man in the stomach and Harwin plunged his sword between the neck and the should. Her Hound swung his warhammer so fast and strong that Hyle's skull shattered spraying blood, brain and bone fragments everywhere. She stabbed the squire again, and then one more time, and one more, each time she felt stronger, the blood covered her hands and she yelled in anger and continued stabbing Podrick's lifeless body. Harwin swung silently his sword again and mutilated the dead body, spraying blood once again. Jack laughed and sobbed using his sword to stab the body until total unrecognizability. Her Hound was howling and barking, and every time he swung his hammer Hyle's blood reached further.

Everyone was screaming, yelling at them to hit harder, to further destroy the bodies of their enemies, to continue spilling blood. All of them had gathered close and joined their savagery like it were their own. Feet stepping in blood and hands and faces covered with it. They charged at the shattered bodies, with their blades or fists punishing what was left of their enemies.

Catelyn felt powerful, she reached her blood-bathed dagger to her face and drank from it. She felt strong, she could feel her body getting tougher, faster. Once she cleaned her dagger she addressed the crowd. Her voice came out clear and loud.

_"We are the Blood Banners of Khorne. He has given us revenge. We will give him blood"_

They replied with savages battle cries, intoxicated by bloodlust. They were hers now, all but Thoros. Bloodlust or fear, it didn't matter, they would follow her and the god that was now hers. Lady Stoneheart was a good name, but she felt that Mother Merciless was more appropriate. For her heart was not stone, but fire, rage and death. And she was no longer a Lady, but a wronged mother looking for vengeance. And now she could ride to battle looking for it.


	3. Interrogator Methius

Interrogator Methius felt like anything but talking with the Guard captains. He had too much to think about, starting with how to deal with the captives.

Most Night Watch brothers were imprisoned at the moment while he decided what to do. Their Lord Commander kid was under medical attention but would probably not survive. Methius had achieve an agreement with Tormund and the wildlings, they were not really imprisoned but under heavy vigilance. The surviving queen's men had been executed by the Guard after a religious altercation with the Guard Chaplain, a rocky man called Kirsches.

The black brothers were divided in two groups, both in allegiance and place of incarceration. Bowen Marsh, the self-proclaimed Lord Commander and a bunch of his men were injured but most of his supporters had been locked in the King's Tower or the common hall. Mostly for their own protection. Bowen Marsh had the most supporters, but his stewards were not really that dangerous compared to the blood thirsty and vengeful rangers. Those were a lot harder to convince to stay put, they were in the Shieldhall and an entire company was tasked with keeping them under control.

The wildlings, black brothers and queen's men had been at each other throats by the time Methius reached Castle Black. It had taken half an hour to establish superiority but half a day to put everyone under surveillance and two weeks to stop the quarrels with the Guard. There were a hundred men injured under the Medicae care and at least another hundred dead, mostly thanks to the abhuman called Wun Wun. The red sorceress Melisandre had taken half a company down with her and left a scorched field. Her and her pet queen were dead now.

There were 85 Imperial casualties in total, counting both deaths and injuries, and at least 10 of those were part of the containment effort. He could have just executed everyone and be done with it, but men are a resource, and native men are a valuable resource during conquest.

All the other castles had been taken easily, right now a few thousands of Merweg men and servitors were establishing real defences and decent buildings in every old fortress. The Colonel was not totally unhappy, he didn't like to be led so Methius had given him the mission to take of all the other castles, hoping not to insult his ego, so big that only the Wall rivalled it in this planet.

The Wall was impressive by local standards, and to be honest, by many worlds's standards. A giantic wall made of ice and psychic runes, Methius felt like he was reclaiming a Holy Relic, it was pretty obvious this Wall was not Chaos-manufacture, the runes, the scan by his psyker, everything was too familiar, everything was way too pure for a non-Imperial world, so far from the Emperor's light and so close to Chaos jaws. Everything reminded him of the Space Wolves and Fenris culture, once he had dealt with the Others he would start a proper investigation. For now he had sent the two savants with their bionic eyes and augmented memory to the library.

Patience was worth ten thousand more than anything else when working with a Regiment from a heavily aristocratic planet, the rigid structures of nobility in Merweg and arrogant behaviour would probably left the local aristocracy to shame.

Captain Bormann was a complete waste of winter clothing here in the North. "My Lord, if you give me the authority I'll take the wildlings and black brothers against the wight horde at Hardhome. Shot once, take two."

Captain Bormann was no different from the other two officers sitting behind him. They all knew he disliked the Colonel and hoped to be the ones to replace the old guy if they could get his favour, apparently though that offering themselves to lead any ill devised plan was the way to get a thumbs up from him. But Methius knew better than to change command structure according to his liking, that was usually a sign of weakness and lack of command in an Inquisitor, his master said. So he just said no with his head and turned back to the map.

"My Lord Interrogator, if we do not put down those wights around Hardhome they are going to join with the ones marching south the Milkwater" That was Captain Worten, an ugly in-the-box thinking young man. "And then there are the other reports."

"Right, that's what I wanted to talk about" If sighing was a sport, Methius would classify to the professional leagues. "Take a look to the map."

He had carefully represented everything the reports said in the map painted over the table. There were small grey flags representing each considerable wight sighting. Recently a bunch of white flags had been added, the Others were finally coming in force. It had started with several skirmishes near the Thenn lands where two companies had died.

In only 2 weeks the imperials had faced as much as 86 confrontations with the wights and 6 with the Others, Methius and the Colonel had thought that massive scouting was a good idea and they were not wrong, just a few dozen injuries while fighting the wights and an acceptable loss of two companies against the Others had allowed them to map the enemy presence everywhere beyond the Wall.

"My Lord, what is your command?" Yeah, apparently Worten thought that being a bootlicker and not presenting his stupid ideas was an improvement.

"My Lord, if we move our troops to the Fist we can start building defences, and use it as an outpost" Well, Bormann as usual was more interested in just moving troops around the map than planning.

He was starting to miss the Colonel, at least that one hadn't been chosen to honour his daddy's accomplishments. "I'm actually more interest in using this Wall, you know, the one with psychic defences" He paused a second to let them realise they were right next to the best defence possible and in no need to create puny barricades somewhere far north.

"That is a wise observation, if my Lord wills it, we can repurpose the locals to prepare the top of the Wall for better defensive purposes"

"We should start mounting our heavy weaponry and artillery on top of the Wall, and recalling all our transports beyond the Wall"

"I agree, Bormann, you are in charge of establishing a defensive line, distributing troops and heavy weaponry, Worten, I want you to recruit as many locals as possible, from every group, take them south with as many Guards as you need and start training them, offer them as much as you need to convince them, we will give them autoguns if they can prove their worth, now go"

Methius had an entire Regiment under his orders, 75.000 trained infantrymen. He had send 15.000 to other missions so currently the army tasked with holding the Wall and fighting Chaos was a good 60 thousand. Last estimates put the number of wights around 300.000, without counting the local fauna. A large number of wildlings and giants had surrendered to the flying Valkyries and were under vigilance in Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, but that didn't change the fact that thousands of Mance's wildlings and everyone buried corpse were standing up and marching.

His winter clothing was better than the ones used by natives so he decided not to take the tunnels, he could stand the cold. Castle Black was heavily populated now, around 15.000 men, counting prisoners inhabited the Castle and the surrounding Imperial buildings recently build. The snow never stopped falling, and the imperials were spending half the day avoiding to be buried they or their barracks under white mountains.

Bimli and his shadows were waiting for him next to the Lord Commander's Tower. The tower had a full dozen of guards looking bored, or maybe they were frozen and dead, with this weather it was hard to know.

Bimli was hard to recognize under winter clothing, his usual BDSM-esque garb deemed too impractical for the cold North. His three shadows, two more death-cultists and a young wildling recently recruited as a novice all garbed in the same black winter clothes. Their understandable choice for the colour black was confusing, they were hard to differentiate from the black brothers, and a few guards had thought they were escapees.

"M'lord Methius, your blood be blessed. My brothers await for sanctification" His face was black, so many torture-tattoos covered his yellow skin. His eyes were cold steel.

Methius had known Bimli for four years and found his lack of familiarity uncomfortable, the death cultist worshipped the Emperor through death and pain, even his own, and other than with his brothers he would never make small talk. Methius himself find the death-cult teachings too close to heresy, but his master the Lord Inquisitor was the one that decided to enlist their swords.

"Death approaches Bimli, may the Emperor sharpen your blades and souls" Stupid courtesies, you couldn't get their complete disposition without doing their little rituals. "Follow me, but do not talk"

The guards opened the doors silently. It took him just a few steps down to see his captives. The undervault was inhabited by Borroq, Morna, the twins, one spearwife, one black brother from the Shadow Tower and the skinniest wildling he had seen, and curled near a corner, Shireen Baratheon. All of them psykers.

Borroq the skinchanger stood up cold as the weather. The spearwife reached for something inside her clothes, she had probably made a wooden knife or something recently. The black brother was sitting at the other side of the vault with an empty glare. Skinny and the sisters were all close. He could felt their power, not near as impressive as his Lord's but stronger than most people would think.

Methius was not a psyker, the God-Emperor had not blessed him with those powers, something he only could adduce to his own weakness. But his entire back was covered by psychic tattoos, holy symbols inked by the Cardinal Aurelius himself in his back, using nothing but blessed ink from Ophelia VI and a set of consecrated blades. He had spent two weeks purifying himself for the moment, and two months recovering with the help of his master, but now he was more than able to perceive psychic phenomenon in his own back and was protected from most Chaos sorcery.

Borroq and the twins, only aged 8 were skinchangers, a new type of psyker ability apparently only present in this world as far as he knew. Morna was more in line with typical psychic sorcery, weak telepathy, weak prescience and the ability to create terror in the hearts of his enemies were surely a great power to have in this primitive world. The spearwife and the black brother were even weaker, while Morna was probably two classes above they both. Slenderboy was almost an Eta, but he was simple of mind, he probably couldn't use his powers without an strong push. And Shireen, well, she was something else entirely.

The princess was stronger than all of them together, or at least she had the potential to be. While he could have to kill them all for their own souls' sake, Shireen was strong enough to be taught. His master would be pleased. Right now he had to dealt with the others.

"Bimli, take the wooden faced witch, the woman and the black cloak outside" He obeyed well enough, Borroq did nothing and Bimli's shadows were strong enough to subdue the spearwife. "Borroq, you know what the girls are, do not use your power or let them use theirs, if you do, I will come here and kill you myself" He just blinked and nodded.

"Shireen, you come with me" She wouldn't move so Bimli's young recruit started to walk towards her, Methius stopped him when he saw the fear in her eyes. "Come on little princess, Patchface has been waiting for you" That was a lie, Methius had shot Patchface's face the day after Castle Black conquest, the buffoon was a psyker too, too powerful and insane to be left alive, his weak mind could be easily corrupted by Chaos, but the lie was enough for the girl who walked shyly to him.

He would give her to Jarrid and Samm to keep for now, they were married and not as psychotic as most of his people, unless they were in a race, then there were very few people as savage as they with their driving. They would keep her well for now.

The girl took his extended hand with her little fingers and he led her through the tunnels, she was just too sickly to expose her to the cold. He took her in silence to his own quarters, just next to Jarrid's that was currently empty and left a guard to inform them about their new assignment.

Then he went back up, he had to deal with the recruiting and Bimli's psykers. There they were, Bimli and his men were surrounding their three captives, right next to the tower gates, there were very few people outside, mostly guards, but they were visible from some windows. The captives were already on their knees.

"Morra, witch warrior of the free folk. Ulmer, brother of the Night Watch. Vilka, spearwife of the free folk. The three of you are accused of unsanctioned psychic sorcery, how do you plead?"

"What the Seven Hells are you talking about? me surrender'd, I know no sorcery m'lord, I'm just an archer" That was Ulmer, Morra just went quiet and the spearwife cursed.

"By the authority given to me through my master the Inquisitor Umber Toeco, and to him by the most Hallowed God-Emperor of Mankind, I sentence you three to death."

No more words were needed, Bimli, one of his shadows and the young recruit all kneel besides the captives and slashed their throats while praying to the God-Emperor to accept this sacrifice.

Being a psyker was a blessing from the Emperor, but only if you were born inside his Ecclesiarchy and found early by his servants to be keep pure and safe. All psykers born outside of the Emperor's Light are a risk, and an Inquisitor must calculate the risk and act in the bests interests of the Imperium. He hadn't killed the skinchangers due to their unique powers, his master would probably like to study them alive. The boy was different, he was also a big risk, but he was too stupid to be a threat if properly taught, much like the Ogryns and their blind faith.

And Shireen, well, she was young and her powers hadn't appear strongly yet. They would have to keep an eye on her.

Now he would check on the Lord Commander kid, the boy was also a psyker, one of those skinchangers and was gravely wounded but imperial medicine had proved good enough to save him after numerous wounds during the riot. The boy was something special, being just a boy he ascended to command of the Night Watch and proved worthy of his post. Master would probably take him for an acolyte if he proved worthy. Methius smiled, a new acolyte would be great, two had died recently and his friend Tomais had been given the honour to become an Inquisitor, he was ten years older and had been under his master a lot more time.

The Lord Commander was under heavy vigilance, he feared new assassination attempts. The Medicae was treating too many men right now so he had a special room for him, supposedly he awoke this morning but couldn't really talk until a few hours later, this was probably going to be an interesting meeting. Methius loved meeting local leaders, religious men and military commanders were usually the smartest, most interesting, and the ones he had to execute more often.


	4. Ser Artagnace Flowers

Ser Artagnace of the Holy Hundred was a great rider, he and his grey gelding were the fastest of the Hundred. Maybe that's how he survived, that and the Seven's favour.

They had come with the sun. Fifty of them, maybe thirty men, the rest boys and girls. Their leader was hiding under her cloak and wielding a greatsword that looked ridiculously oversized in her hands. They had captives, one for each one of them and all chained together.

At first Ser Bonifer was not sure about riding out. It all looked like an ambush, but the captives screams, being executed one by one was too much and after a quick prayer to the Warrior the Holy Hundred charged. Harrenhal's gates opened and they rode swift and gracious to face this band of outlaws.

The woman just screamed and her men regrouped, ignoring the chained captives. She took off her cloak and then we saw her. She was the demon Lady we had been hearing about. Lady Stoneheart, The Hangwoman, Mother Merciless. Lady Catelyn Stark they said she was. But the daughter of Hoster Tully was a beautiful woman of red hair. This "woman" had just a few strands of white hair, and a face covered with scars. She was using a black crown and under her cloak she was wearing mail armour. This was a warrior woman.

The Holy Hundred charged in two columns, they had the numbers, the equipment and the Crown's support behind them. The band charged towards one the columns. Their Terrible Lady was terrible, but right behind her there was The Hound, his helmet as terrifying as always, Ser Artagnace had seen The Hound fighting before, and he knew the monster was as skillfull as ugly his face. But there was something new about him, he was holding a battle axe, not his usual longsword, and a yellow cloak moved with the wind.

He could hear Ser Prelious singing praises for the Warrior. He could hear the woman riding and screaming, her Hound howling and their men hooting, laughing, sobbing and yelling behind her, not a single word uttered. Ser Artagnace column and Mother Merciless's band clashed, then everything went from bad to worse.

He saw Mother Merciless chop Ser Prelious head in half with a single stroke, avoiding his own sword and cutting trough his steel armour like if it wasn't there. The Hound unhorsed a man and chopped another one in two. The outlaws had successfully broke into their own ranks, Ser Bonifer had hoped that wouldn't happen, giving his column the opportunity to crash with the outlaws laterally.

Artagnace wielded a mace, he wasn't a big man but heavy weapons had always attracted him during training. The first outlaw that passed by his side was a woman wearing patchwork armour and holding a sword. She swung her blade but Artagnace used his shield to block it, then he saw another outlaw to his right but his mace connected with his head and with ease it crushed the rider's halfhelm and skull.

One spear came from nowhere and killed another knight behind him. Then he was cornered between two of them, apparently numerical superiority wasn't working well. The first one used an axe to shatter his shield and probably his hand. The other one used a pole-axe to move his mace sideways. The one with the axe swung again and Artagnace used his battered shield to stop it again, and it hurt like the seven hells.

A riderless horse blind with blood crashed against his other attacker, that was enough opportunity and he rode far from the enemies, sure one would follow or he could get in it again, but then he noticed how the few outlaws were winning, at least half of their company was already dead and the remaining savages were apparently not slowing down. He had been lucky, apparently the other demon-cultists were far harder than the ones he had faced and were crushing their way through the Holy Hundred.

Ser Artagnace was a pious man, but he wasn't suicidal. And he could see that that now that Ser Bonifer and a dozen men disengaged and made their way to Harrenhal while the enemies finished the remaining knights and horses. They had killed at least a score of the outlaws, but mostly the kids playing at war, and their real warriors had taken down at least forty or more knights.

That was when he felt an arrow go through his leg and hurt his horse, setting it in a frenzy race. Artagnace was smart enough at the moment to take advantage of his horse's inglorious exit and continue riding. The band of outlaws had bested a hundred knights in battle only losing their own cannon fodder, there was something wrong about that. The Seven save us all.

(Just trying to get an idea about Mother Merciless doing her god's works. I fear I didn't properly wrote the Holy Hundred, but I hope you guys like it. I guess a few more characters are going to fall to Chaos sooner or later, I've some ideas but have no problem hearing new ones)


	5. Interrogator Methius (II)

The encampment north of the Wall was dubbed Castle White by the guards after its snow covered buildings. Methius himself didn't considered the Merwegians to be great fighters but organized and dutiful they were without a doubt. The camp command was a group of containers connected with wooden hallways and a full company securing it. Lines after lines of campaign-barracks surrounded it in perfect symmetry, decorated by gun-towers, medical-tents and empty squares for training. Everything encircled by two wooden fences and one prefabricated wall dotted with sentry guns and guard towers.

Methius was not stupid, he had ordered the building of Castle White this side of the Wall as a bait for the Others. Most of his troops were south or on top of the Wall, and everything around here was thought to make an attack a butchery. Captain Bormann was a dutiful man and had already started working on the defences on top of the Wall. Heavy bolters, multi-lasers and hundreds of pieces or artillery and heavy weaponry were already standing 200 metres higher than the ground. The Colonel was not stupid either and now a great extension of the Wall was heavily armed, and all of it was being patrolled.

Two thousand guards inhabited the giant bait of White Castle, another thirteen thousand camped south the Wall ready to mobilize. Right now he wasn't worried for the defence of the encampment, Captain Brummer had recently came back and the results of his mission were waiting in the Cold Lab, built north of the Wall to allow him study the magic that couldn't go through it.

The lab was guarded by a dozen Storm Troopers commanded by Captain Athoren Frius. Outside it Captain Brummer and his men waited, Lieutenant Herrmann, Commissar Kaufermann and Officer cadet Erikstein, a lucky bunch. Methius had designed their mission to be a suicidal one unless they decided to run, they were the bait for a group of Other outriders. Captain Athoren, his Storm Troopers and three of the finest Merweg companies were supposed to trap the Others and capture some of them once Brummer failed, but he didn't.

To be honest he did, the one who succeeded was Lt. Herrmann who captured one Other himself and Commissar Kaufermann, who managed to hold the Others enough time to bring the Other back to the transport. Priest Kirsches had apparently played a big factor in the battle burning and chopping the Others's giant ice-spiders.

Methius sighed and started the little speech he had prepared.

"Hermann Brummer, you are demoted to Second Lieutenant. Thomas Herrmann, you are promoted to Captain, all surviving troops including your previous commander are now under your command, as well as two hundred local auxiliary troops. Ask for further information to Captain Bormann"

This was supposed to be different, Brummer was supposed to be congratulated and assigned a new company, but Methius had tried to kill the man sending him in a dangerous mission and instead he had returned with just a sixth of his men. He didn't even wait for an answer and went inside with a loud sigh.

Two Storm Troopers from the gates followed him. One of Bimli's shadows, one astropath and five guardsmen were already following him, but two Storm Troopers made him feel ten times more safe. The guard inside was composed by Skitarii, almost in every corner of the brazen building a man made cyborg stood firm holding a rifle. Hypaspists.

The Magos in charge was currently holding the rituals to hold the heating systems south of the Wall so he was received by a lower Tech-priest, with so few modifications and robotic extremities it hardly looked like an adept.

"Interrogator Methius, the Adeptus Mechanicus is honoured by your current physical presence in our installations. This is the holding cell destined to the xenos specimen for the present moment until Magos Xenologis Telsa arrives to continue the study of the subject x-025/Planetos"

"Take me to it" The Enginseer started doing a small prayer and opened the door. Flanked by two massive servitors the hallway was also guarded by a number of Skitarii. Methius entered, the Storm Troopers and the priest followed, everyone else was held back by the Skitarii.

The holding cell was long and wide, a perfect cube. A table was next to the door, with all armour, weapons and items captured. The sword long, and you just had to get close to feel the cold. Methius touched the grip and his glove froze hard.

"As you can observe Interrogator Methius, the long-swords wielded by these Xenos species are actively depriving surrounding objects of heat. We hypothesize this is due to a psychic mechanism that uses the energy absorbed to maintain structural integrity and overall incredible resistance, strength and power for a blade made only of ice"

"Ice?"

"Until further testing we can only hypothesize that it's ice strengthened by psychic sorcery in the most pervert way"

Methius was still trying to flex his fingers inside his frozen glove. He sighed, surrendered and took it off with difficulty.

"What about the armour?"

"It's apparently an alloy of frozen water and metal, we cannot understand it until further testing and pious meditation but the psychic nature of the armour is clear. We hope the Ommissiah will enlighten us to comprehend this heretic psychic technology before we destroy it and help the Imperium to cleanse this lands of this sinful but simple tools of corruption"

"Yeah, yeah, but what about the resistance to damage?"

"The psychic armour have proven to be resistant to most local weaponry, and las-fire have proven as useless against the armour as anything else, but observing how it served to the Guards fighting these xenos I will assume that moderate las-fire can finish their biological functions by kinetic impact and thermal burns. As far as we know they are extremely affected by heat"

Methius nodded and walked over to the centre of the room, were the filthy xenos was waiting in absolute silence and as upright as his chains allowed him. He was naked, revealing a more humanoid body than expected. An insult to the sanctity of the Human Form.

The creature was obviously a psyker, but not a strong one. His weapons and armour must be manufactured in their strongholds by stronger psykers, that at least showed some variety in their numbers, not seen until today. And posed a great threat, xenos psykers were dangerous, even more when they used Chaos sorcery.

His face is a mockery of a human face. Blue eyes, pale white face. Methius values knowledge enough to stop himself from killing this monster, faster and stronger than a common human, this xenos is not only a mockery but a threat.

"I see you have not made any testing progress yet"

The Other finally acknowledged his presence and turned his head to watch him directly, Methius was an acolyte of the Most Hallowed Inquisition from Terra, any lesser mortal would have taken a few steps back in fear.

"Affirmative Interrogator Methius, currently we are working on translating his speech and measuring his vitals with our blessed scanners"

"Well then, if you are successful in communicating with this xenos then I shall come to interrogate it before its demise"

"Your instructions will be passed on"

"Good enough, if the Adeptus Mechanicus needs anything at all come to me" And with that Methius left followed by his Storm Troopers and after the door by the rest of his retinue. He could still feel the Other watching his back when he made a turn in the hallway.


	6. Aegon Targaryen

Aegon rode under the Stag's banner. Eight hundred men on horse followed him. More than a thousand men under Tyrell's golden rose and Rowan's golden tree banners were already trying to regroup to face him.

Ser Rolly Duckfield rode next to him. His white cloak hidden for now. Behind them there were 600 hundred horsemen from the Golden Company and 200 stormlanders, mostly Penrose's. A hundred landed knighs and petty lords had declared allegiance to Aegon by now, House Penrose ahead of them all with Ser Robin Penrose, heir to his House seat Parchments, riding along them.

Lord Mathis Rowan, a stout man had been prudent enough to keep sentinels and that had allowed him to rearrange his troops to face the incoming men. A number of his men were on horse but most of them were on their feet. Rowan was a prudent commander and knew that if they couldn't hold the first charge there was no battle to be had. Knights and horsemen would go trough his token force with ease. He had ordered every spear to the front and had his bowmen waiting.

Aegon gripped his new sword. He hadn't had opportunity to use it yet, but he had trained and knew how powerful such a weapon was. He remembered the prayer that they had taught him and started reciting it. Aegon wasn't extremely superstitious, but a magic weapons was supposed to be treated with respect they said.

Lord Rowan ordered his bowmen to fire, 50 men fired against the oncoming charge with little success, they fired a few more times and then Lord Rowan ordered them to fall back giving place to everyone holding a spear or simply a sharpened stick. The enemy wasn't using a lot of thinking in their battle tactics, but to be honest they need no tactics, 800 men on horse were more than a match to his token force, composed mostly of men-at-arms, infantry and siege engineers.

Not even an arrow flew near Aegon, they were close enough now so he ordered full speed. Duck's horse was riding a bit faster and taking an advantage now, so he spurred his own mare and reached him. He drew his sword, pressed the right button and his longsword was quickly covered by a blue halo, he could sense the sword buzzing and maybe the air was heating up, now was the time.

Lord Rowan wasn't in the front lines, he wasn't a lad no more. He stood near the flank of his troops ready to order a withdrawal. Then he saw the young commander, not even twenty, with a Targaryen look in him. He tried to think of who this may be. Maybe Lord Velaryon had another bastard son prettier than Aurane? Then he saw the boy's sword shine blue, magic, he had heard about Stannis's magic sword, this was surely Essosi witchcraft.

Aegon's sword went right through the shield showing seven green hands with something akin to an explosion and halved the knight with ease. Seven hells, he loved this sword. Duck was right behind him, wielding another gift from their new allies, a sword harder and as sharp as Valyrian steel but heavier, Adamantium they called it. One knight fall to their weapons, then another one, then two more and soon Aegon's vanguard had gone through the enemies heart and broke their army in two.

Lord Rowan ordered the withdrawal. He knew there was no way he could have won, but he just couldn't have run from a battle. He was no craven, only in defeat he would ever run or kneel. His infantry could not outrun the Baratheon's troops that had come from nowhere. Only a score of his knights would have a chance to do it, he started riding.

Aegon had used just a portion of his men to divide the enemy in two, now the rest of his troops were riding over the portion furthest from the castle, leaving six hundred infantry men between them and Storm's End garrison. A score of Tyrell's knights were running now far from the battle, surely thinking they had a chance. Aegon smiled, Balaq's bowmen and his elite group of shooters would have fun using their new "autoguns" for the first time. He could have won the battle with ease using those guns, but he had a show to play for the garrison.

He had beheaded as much as 30 men when finally most of the infantry men knelt, and the few remaining knights did the same. He had won the battle, now he had to take the castle.

Ser Robin Penrose joined him with his men. His armour so much like Aegon's, Aegon gave his sword to the older boy and stayed a few metres behind using his helmet. The Young Griff wanted to shout and celebrate victory but victory wasn't here yet. Lord Gedrion Hasty, Lord Hugh Grandison, Lord Alesander Staedmon circled him, two old men and a craven who had fight for three kings. Behind them Bryen Fell, Theodore Bolling, Adalbert Selmy and Arthur Greenriver rode, knights of lesser branches of their houses, they had sworn their swords to Aegon easily and now were promised their families seat. Gedrik, Jarred, Humbert, Gerold, Robert, Monfryd and Ormund, Storm them all. The bastards of the Storm lords had followed him as much as the promise of being legitimized.

Not the best of the Stormlands, yet everything he had for now. He knew most lords and knights were either with Stannis far north or with Tommen in King's Landing. The ones here were either craven, old or lesser members of their houses, and most of them would wait a long time before kneeling to their kind. Aegon had talked with Lysono Maar, the Company's spymaster and had more than a few ideas for the Stormlands.

Storm's End gates were opened and Gilbert Farring followed by his men went to greet them, the gates closed behind him. He was being suspicious. All there was now was to wait Penrose would do his part.

"Ser Gilbert Farring, you must surely remember me. I'm Ser Robin Penrose, old Cortnay's nephew"

"Aye, I know who you're, old castellan was Renly's men"

"Renly's dead, old Cortnay too, now there is only Stannis and the Lannister boy, the one using Baratheon's name. I've rescued you, and now we shall prepare the castle for the King's return"

"Stannis is returning? He ain't, he went North to hold the Wall"

"Apparently this siege have keep you in the dark more than you thought old man. Stannis have won the North, he send the Golden Company to retake the Stormlands. Aurane Waters have stayed loyal to His Grace and bring the new Lannister fleet back to us. The King, his men and the northerners are coming back. They defeated him once in the Blackwater, but a second try is often lucky, you know the man"

"I know His Grace better than you do, we knew he would turn this tide back for us. Come inside, we have to celebrate, ha, but we have spent most our supplies, no wine"

"We have our own, and the captives, I think the cells are going to be overcrowded for a while old Ser"

Aegon tried not to laugh the whole time. Ser Robin was natural actor, confident and arrogant he pushed the castellan just enough not to generate any doubts. The gates opened and his men rode inside, cheering and celebrating along the guards. Only the stormlanders and the best sellswords got inside, the rest would camp outside while most captives would go inside to the cells. This night was celebration, this night was victory. Not for everyone in the castle obviously.


	7. Captain Edmunch Vard

Captain Vard descended from the Valkyrie. His men had already established a defensive perimeter. A dozen Tempestus Scions, also known as Storm Troopers. The best of the best, black carapace armour, Hot-shot Lasguns with their backpack power source and Inquisitorial seals. Not conquerors as the 1st Merweg, simply killers.

Two more Valkyries landed a hundred metres north and two dozen guardsmen came out, they would provide cover for his squad, to burn a small army of wights was not their own mission. The Storm Troopers started charging swiftly with one order towards the cave, a cloud of ravens and other birds came out of the entrance when they tried to get it, effectively pushing them back for a small moment before being killed and dispersed with a grenade.

The remaining birds tried another attack but another grenade caught them mid-fly and took most of them with the explosion and the remaining with shrapnel. Trooper Akershus informed the Auspex was not working, no readings were available as soon as he stepped inside. Trooper Jacob, in charge of the Vox-caster quickly said the same, the Warp-magic used by the xenos made all communications impossible inside the cave.

The cave went further down, it got darker inside but that was not a problem for the Storm Troopers, whose equipment included Night goggles, flashlights, chemical torches and more. They had come to kill a witch, two Astropaths had died under Interrogator Methius orders to trace back the psyker who had been spying on them through the white trees's eyes.

They followed the tunnels further inside, they would caught glimpses of small animals every few minutes running from them. Vard was aware of the psyker's ability to control animals so he ordered to shot all living things on sight. It would make them easy to notice from afar but the enemy surely knew about them already, with their animal scouts and witchcraft.

The tunnel walls and floor were covered by bones and roots. The psychic nature of the trees was known and by now the squads outside should be burning the trees if they had already killed again the wights. Trooper Akershus had the front of the line, he turned first into a new passageway covered by Andreas positioned against the corner. An arrow flew directly towards Trooper Akershus heart, the man shoot the arrow still flying completely vaporising it. Trooper Andreas and Trooper Peter shot the archer, a child-like xenos whose head and chest disappeared under the Hellgun lasfire.

Another couple of humanoid xenos tried some kind of Warp-sorcery against them, or at least they started trying. Before any attack was made their bodies were reduced to carbonized meat by the entire squad's firepower. Vard was complacent with himself, the cave had too many passageways and tunnels, but the defenders were directing them towards their own quarters by defending some and leaving others empty, unless they were drawing them towards an ambush there was no way to coordinate a worse defence.

Another couple of xenos and animals tried going against them in small groups or big numbers, but there was no way for such primitive forces to resist the Tempestus Scions. After a while they tried using weak illusions, cloak-sorcery and magic traps but the squad was ready for such a dishonourable style of combat thanks to Inquisitor Toeco's long training dealing with psyker sorcery and were able to put down the tricksters and continue down the cave.

The opposition grew harder for a few passageways before finally disappearing. There was no way to decide which way to take between five different openings. Vard knew that when in doubt going forward was the Guard's solution, and right now there was no better option so he just took one random entrance and continued down.

They had come to a great cavern, a black abyss and a river sounded below them. A great bridge stood connecting an entrance higher than their own with the other side of the cavern, a bigger protuberance with a lot of movement. Arrows, rocks and spears welcomed them from the other side of the bridge and they went back to the tunnels now with a clear idea to where they were going.

Trooper Loten carapace armour dismissed a few obsidian-pointed arrows and the squad shoot back. Trooper Loten had been too slow, or too confident Captain Vard thought, but he had received no harm. Vermin, bats and raven tried to fight them but Trooper Adalbruk flamer got into action lighting the tunnel with promethium fuelled fire. They finally got into the entrance that connected to the bridge and understood this was the native command headquarters thanks to Interrogator Methius's briefing.

Ravens and crows stood in every protruding surface. Rats and other vermin occupied every inch of the floor. Bats hanged from everywhere. Every animal species that ever inhabited a cave was represented here in great numbers. And there were the xenos, many, more than a hundred protecting a throne made of roots and a fragile looking man seated on it. A xenos-lover, a witch and pysker.

His voice sounded weak.

"_So you have come to kill me_"

Captain Vard was not appreciative of conversations during battle with the enemy so he stayed silent.

"_The wights have killed your friends in the surface, you've nowhere to go. Killing us will solve nothing, Winter is coming and you'll need us to stop them_"

Captain Vard was ready to start the killing frenzy but remembered what Inquisitor Toeco would have done almost surely before executing the Emperor's justice.

"_Establish your name, rank and allegiance_"

"_I'm the last greenseer, I once was called Brynden Rivers. I serve the old gods, life and summer_"

Captain Vard didn't want to talk to an enemy but he felt it was his obligation as an Inquisition soldier "_Brynden Rivers, you've been judged as an heretic and a witch, I therefore condemn you to death for the crime of Warp-sorcery_" And to his men "_For the Emperor! Kill them all!_"

The arrows and animals flew to them, the vermin charged with a huge wolf leading them. Trooper Adalbruk flamer lighted the cavern and hundreds of animals with it. The lasfire from the other Storm Troopers Hellguns and Trooper Jacob bolter rounds took hundreds of attackers with ease, snakes and rats tried dropping on them but there was nothing the animals claws could do against the carapace armour and fierce determination the Storm Troopers had.

A huge man attacked them wielding a sword and leading a charge of the xenos and their bigger animals, a final charge for sure. Captain Vard didn't dare to throw a grenade fearing for the bridge structural stability. The huge man yelled to them and his face disappeared in a mist of blood, smoke and light. Adalbruk took lead and used his flamer to hold the bridge, burning twenty of the xenos and stopping their charge.

They were using arrow and spear heads made of obsidian. Not a really strong material and their physical strength was clearly lower than that of a human, there was no way their attacks could go through even the weakest parts of the Imperial armour.

Then things got awry. The xenos ran to their side of the bridge and Adalbruk advanced followed by the rest. A las-shot took Adalbruk flamer's fuel from behind and it exploded vaporizing Adalbruk, Trooper Loten and the entire bridge with them. The shock wave was powerful and send them all flying back to land hard in the floor. Vard was still getting up when he saw Troopers Akershus and Andreas being killed by lasfire. Trooper Peter looked at him and pointed with his Hellgun, his eyes blank, enemy witchery. He saw a flash before he could raise his own weapon.

Both Peter's arms were severed around the elbow, his weapon dropped still connected to his power pack. Trooper Lulla Tarsen didn't stopped there and blew his head with another calculated shot. He had seen Peter's eyes, this was a sorcery attack. They had to take down the witch before he could do it again, and now they were down to 7 men. Massive loses considering their primitive enemy.

The bridge was gone and the xenos continued firing their arrows at them with no effect. Captain Edmunch Vard rallied his men and started shooting the witch, this Brynden Rivers. The first few shots were deviated with some kind of sorcery and he noticed that the xenos were now singing, the earth was shaking and their precise shots were somehow going everywhere but where they aimed at.

Warp witchcraft, witch singing. He could feel the songs inside his head. Vard was no man to be corrupted or cowardly run from the Arch-enemy. But he could feel the songs weaken his resolve, getting inside his mind and compromising his aim. The earth was shaking and he was almost sure the roots were moving.

He heard Trooper Jacob half-sing, half-scream "_I offer my life to the Emperor_" Vard knew the words and answered "_I pray that He accepts it_" his men voices chorused above the lasfire and xenos witch-chanting "_I offer my strength to the Emperor_" continued Trooper Llain "_I pray that he redresses it_" they said together. The earth continued shaking but their shots were getting closer, he understood the Emperor was helping them, helping them overcome the enemy witchcraft. Edmunch didn't wait for the next line and yelled it himself "_I offer my blood to the Emperor_" Jacob and the others responded "_I pray that it quenches His thirst_" one of his shots took the witch's knee "_I offer my body on the altar of the battlefield_" said Trooper Adan, a few shots hit the wooden throne and the witch's left hand disappeared accompanied by screams. The xenos chanting grew weaker "_I pray He grants me a noble death_" sung Trooper Tarsen and his grenade killed a score of the xenos and confused their chanting "_I pray for His protection_" yelled old Abaton and his shot impacted in the witch's stomach burning it to nothing "_as I offer all that I am_" recited Bruntl and lasfire vaporised the witch's head and most of his throne.

"_For the Golden Throne! For the Emperor! Kill them all!_"

The xenos screamed and their chanting died. Edmunch Vard was a blunt, a non-pskyer, a common human but he felt the enemy sorcery die along their witch and their awful song. Their shots were now as precise and deadly as always and scores of xenos died running, but many of them made their escape along descending pathways and tunnel entrances. He ordered all demolition charges to be set to explode in an hour and ordered a withdrawal, if their surface support had been overrun they had to burn the psychic trees themselves and ask for reinforcements if they hoped to hunt the remaining xenos and destroy this corrupted shelter.

During their descent they had made a prisoner, one of the xenos. Wounded with a cauterized stump instead of his right foot, they had tied him well and left him unconscious, on their way up they picked him up. Interrogator Methius and the off-world Inquisitor Toeco liked to capture new xenos specimens for experimentation before committing to full confrontations. They had lost 5 men to a primitive species due to their use of witchcraft, but their leader was dead and their centre of operations was going to be blow up by demolition charges in just a few minutes.

The local humans had been unable to exterminate the Others and had only decimated the Children of the forest in a few thousand of years. Now the Imperium was here, Interrogator Methius wouldn't let another year pass before exterminating the vile xenos species and bringing this planet to the Emperor's light, to be inhabited only by His beloved humanity. Captain Edmunch Vard loved his job.


	8. Methius (III)

The attack came at night, but the Guard was not found unbeknownst. Wights without number poured from everywhere against the wooden fences of Castle White, the Guard camp built north of the Wall precisely to attract an attack.

The wights used makeshift rams against the fences, just to be cut down by heavy lasfire. Lasfire also proved successful in setting the wights in flames. Then the doors opened up and the wights charged, just to be killed by lasfire and flamethrowers from different killpoints usually outside of their reach. The doors closed once a significant number of wights entered to allow the garrison to mow them down effectively.

Two thousand men armed with lasrifles were worth a hundred wights with swords and sticks. Even more when defending a position. Methius was not sure if the Other in the Cold Lab was in fact the real reason the wights were attacking, the few weeks before the capture of that xenos have been quiet and just now they decided to attack. He still had to estimate the worth one of their own species had to their commanding officers compared to their zombie forces.

Methius had planned this confrontation considering the known enemy forces, their wight army, composed mostly of humans with some dangerous undead animals reinforcing. And the Others, the xenos themselves, expert swordsmen and psykers to some degree. What he had not expected was to see the xenos undead army retire just after a massive charge.

Most airborne vehicles followed the retiring wights firing with their cannons, an infantry charge followed to burn the still moving bodies. Methius first of all. One of Bimli's shadow was next to him, a guardsmen with a flamethrower and a few of the younger guards laughing and using their chemical torches to burn the bodies.

Then the White Walkers launched their counterattack. Methius saw the flamer fell down, with a dozen icicles protruding from the weak points of his armour. "Throne damnit, are those ranged weapons? Anyone can confirm ranged weapons?" His question was answered by flying icicles impaling another guard while he ducked for cover, at first there was no enemy to be seen, but the tattoos in his back didn't lie, the enemy was here.

Bolters and light artillery started spitting their gifts to the enemy from atop the wall, hundreds of men used their privileged position to rain fire to the enemies. It worked well, hundreds of wights were destroyed and fires raged everywhere, Methius had always loved bolter weapons, the one he carried right now evidenced that.

The ground started shaking, a rumbling noise came from everywhere and the temperature dropped a few grades, as if that was possible. Warp sorcery so strong he could feel his entire back burning.


	9. Captain Edmunch Vard (II)

It was one of his men the first one to get visual confirmation. The auspex readings showed something big, aerial in nature. They thought it was an anomaly, a misreading or in the worst case, primitive aeroplanes.

Well, it wasn't. It was a motherfrakking Ice Dragon.

The storm and falling snow covered his appearance, almost fifty metres of ice and scales that reminded him of the Others' reflective armour. Edmunch thought a second about making a shot but the monster was not near enough and he doubted his hellgun could do much damage unless he could aim it to the monster's face. A couple wildlings wights attacked him and while he dispatched their undead bodies he lost sight of the monster amongst the storm.

Interrogator Methius had reported something akin to long range weaponry in the enemy lines and Captain Edmunch Vard had taken his team to investigate, along a company to cover the retreat of the troops who had followed the retiring wights, the air vehicles and artillery were going to take initiative and the infantry had to step back, it was a lot better than just chasing the undead army in this hellish weather.

Vard returned his sight to the sky just in time to see an explosion, some Imperial air vehicle being crushed by the dragon's mass. East from Castle White, the dragon was receiving heavy fire from atop the Wall and his entire body seemed to be melting and freezing at the same time. The monster flew directly towards the wall, apparently aiming to the artillery units on top of it but instead of simply crushing them with its tail as it apparently was trying to he simply bounced back as if the Wall extended higher and invisible to the eye.

Those were the psyker defenses Methius had told him about.

The dragon fell. The massive monstrosity fell but by doing so went out of sight for Captain Vard. A fall hidden behind the trees, even the sound was muffled by the screeching wind and thunder.

Vard saw the enemy was no longer coming and ordered the Merwegian company to fall back, the artillery was about to start their onslaught and there were no more fighting enemies on sight. He and his team continued double time, using micro-beads to find the Interrogator.

The fires died quickly, put down by the snow. But the marks of the flamers were easy to follow. Finally they found the Interrogator by sound, most soldiers were retreating to Castle White but Methius and a few men had cornered an enemy gunner. It was easy to see why they couldn't take down the gunner, a rocky protuberance hard to climb gave place to a clearing with little cover to advance, and there was no way to properly spot the enemy gunner without risking being seen, as three dead guardsmen evidenced.

Methius walked to him with his bolter in one hand and a smile.

"Captain Vard, good you are here, we have not been able to encircle the gunner, it uses some kind of ice ammunition, able to go through armour. I thought about taking those men in a frontal attack but the rate of fire that gun can muster convinced me not to"

Interrogator Methius was a smart man. Young and bright, but not an experienced fighter nor on-the-field commander. Until recently most of his experience fighting was related to street fights and assassinations, not quite the same as battle.

"My Lord, we can use smoke grenades to cover a frontal attack" One of his minions spoke, a young guardsman with an augmetic left side of his jaw. Not a Merwegian, one of Methius men. Dukko he was called.

If Methius wasn't a brilliant field commander, this man was even worse. Methius sighed and ignored him, the boy understood and made a moody face (as much as you can with half a jaw made of metal).

A small nod and Troopers Jacob and Tarse were already doing their best climbing the rock, the rest of the team joined the perimeter of guardsmen. Methius looked slightly surprised just for a second but his Inquisitorial training came back and his face went back to blank cordiality. His men used their knives to climb, not really an easy task due to the inclination of the rock, outwards.

Six minutes and a half later they were on top of the rock. The gunner didn't even see them. Just a second after he lost his ability to see anything at all, as well his entire head. The guardsmen carried the gun, an Imperial machine gun parody, made entirely of crystal, so cold both guardsmen lost a few fingers to frostbite once in the base.

The artillery bombardment started one minute and fifty two seconds later. They were running as fast as they could back to the Wall. Two of them carrying the Other's gun.

Captain Vard had informed Methius about the ice dragon and all the answer he got was a heavy sigh and an order to get the tech-priests to the corpse. As fast as he could, with that order Vard and his team started running, until now they had been running at the Interrogator's squad speed. Storm Troopers were a lot faster and fitter, trained and given lesser modifications to enhance physical performance. They soon lost sight of the guardsmen and reached Castle White. Artillery shells drowned every other noise all the way.


	10. The Citadel

He came back to his guard post to find the other hyspasist standing upright. For a second he feared an inspection or a patrol had came and find him away from his post, that would not go well, but there was nothing of the sort. Only a wooden door with several locks and bars barricading it and his fellow guard, standing upright and looking at him with no expression.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

He got a look that told nothing and noticed something behind him, he got a few steps closer.

"What is that?"

An unaugmented hand closed around his throat at the same time he noticed the naked augmented feet coming out of the barrels and boxes against the wall, he tried to use his rifle as a club to broke the grip around his throat, but the man used a knife to cut his right wrist, upper throat and connecting cables. The hand around his throat let go and the man who supposedly was his fellow guard stabbed him once more, this time between the armour plates of his lower chest and started walking towards the door.

Far from dead, the hyspasist guard reached for his rifle with his left hand and bathed with his own blood stood up again using his augmented legs and aimed. His shot went wild thanks to the throwing knife that hit his gun, the attacker jumped sideways and then towards him as he aimed again, with his throat cut and bleeding he couldn't call for help, but the shooting would probably be more than enough.

The attacker took hold of the rifle barrel, the hyspasist used his bleeding wrist as a weapon and filled with blood the man's face and eyes for enough time to take back the rifle and club him, too close to aim the long barrel. The man's arms embraced him and they both fell down. The man's face was no longer the one of the dead hyspasist but a more native face, with curly hair and a scar on his cheek.

They fought in the floor for a while but the man was too good, even an augmented hyspasist with years of battle experience proved not enough and during the battle got stabbed a few times more between the armour plates as he tried to get the man off of him.

The guard finally lost his strength due to massive blood loss and passed out, just in time to hear a platoon of Hyspasists and Skitarii coming and his attacker unlocking the door.


End file.
